Blog: The Family Connection

In parts one and two of this series, we outlined the possible civil and criminal consequence of posting an intimate photo or video of your ex online following a separation, but what about the consequences on your family law proceeding?

¬What happens if I share explicit images or videos of my ex without their consent? Is this a crime? Our previous blog post on this topic explored the Ontario Court of Justice decision last year, Doe 464533 v N.D., which recognized a new privacy tort for the first time in Canada called “publication of embarrassing private facts.” This post will look at the criminal repercussions for engaging in revenge porn.

So-called revenge porn involves the distribution of sexually explicit images or videos without the subject’s knowledge or consent, typically in anger or frustration over a broken relationship. It’s also an act that can come with severe civil and criminal consequences for the person publishing the content.

What happens when two people who are not in a romantic relationship want to raise a child together? Does the law recognize these kinds of parents? In a Canadian first, our very own Marta Siemiarczuk assisted Natasha Bakht and Lynda Collins in asking the court to declare them as co-mothers of Natasha’s son, Elaan.

The holiday season is supposed to be a happy, peaceful time to spend with friends and family. But for many families, it can be one of the most stressful times of the year. When you are separated, the pressures of making sure your children see grandma, grandpa, cousins, aunts and uncles – and have… Read more »

Earlier this week, the government passed Bill 28, the All Families Are Equal Act. This legislation will be proclaimed in force on January 1, 2017. It amends the Children’s Law Reform Act, the Vital Statistics Act and 39 other statutes to recognize the multitude of ways that a child can be conceived, and changes the wording in some laws so that gender references are neutral. It acknowledges the diversity of parentage and aims to end discrimination against non-traditional families.

Do you have a hard time keeping track of all the procedural steps in Family Court? The truth is family law procedure (and really, all court procedure) is complicated. As a result, this post is not meant to be a comprehensive overview of all steps in the family court process. It is meant to give readers a cursory outline of the initial steps in the process when two people need the court’s help to determine the terms of their separation, including things like property division and custody issues.

Our very own Pam MacEachern and Erin Lepine will be speaking at a University of Ottawa event called ‘Reproductive Labour? Reflections on the Law and Policy of Surrogacy’. The event was organized by the Centre for Health Law, Policy and Ethics.